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The “little girl” has come a long way, as defined by the former mayor of Cascina Pd shortly before being hit on the ballot that brought the first town in Tuscany to the Lega. Now Susanna ceccardi wants to tear down another wall, that of the Region, which has always been led by the left. The Lega MEP spared no effort in the electoral campaign. She has traveled the length and breadth of each province to propose her program of change. As the former president of the Senate, Marcello Pera, explained, “for the first time the regional elections are secular, that is to say, posideological. For the Tuscan left, the umbrella of ideology is gone and the umbrella of political programs is full of holes. We play even ”. And the game is open like never before. In this interview we asked Ceccardi about his idea of Tuscany and what he would like to do once he is chosen.
Mr. Ceccardi, in Tuscany you are presenting yourself to change, after 50 years of management by the left. Do what? Can you tell me what is the first thing you would do as soon as you are elected?
There are many things we must do as soon as we take office. Surely, in the first regional councils, we will think about work, health, the economic recovery of entire sectors put in crisis by the pandemic. In our region many jobs could be lost by December, about 150 thousand. This is one-tenth of current employees. Work is not created by decree or law but with development opportunities, with infrastructure, lowering the tax burden. And we want to create such opportunities through a new ruling class that finally breaks the patterns tied to a now-worn political class that has ruled Tuscany for seventy years.
Waste and mismanagement, these are the most serious accusations against Enrico Rossi. Can you give us some more specific examples?
The latest debris refers to medical care and pandemic management for the past few months. You don’t have to go back that far, even if you can remember the big hole in Massa’s ASL of more than 400 million euros. Tell us Rossi what happened to the 200 lung ventilators that never arrived and cost 7 million euros, tell us how it is possible that the money from the region ends up in the masks produced in subcontracting by the Chinese laboratories in Prato using labor in black and produced in the midst of mice. This is public money, it is the money of the Tuscan citizens: whoever administers must assume his responsibilities in this evil management of public affairs. In health, infrastructure, public transport, citizens do not need ideological flags: they need answers and concreteness.
Some accuse her of being good at campaigning and propaganda, less at managing power. How do you respond?
I answer that as mayor I have restored the budgets of the branches of my municipality, I have kept faith in the promises made during the election campaign by turning words into deeds. Those who accuse me of just propaganda should think about what has been done in Tuscany in recent decades: absolutely nothing.
On more than one occasion she has defined herself as an ideological position, then added that 80 years ago she would have been an anti-fascist but that today does not make sense. Taking into account that the distinctions between right, left and center have been overcome, how would you define yourself politically? Do you recognize yourself in the definition of sovereign?
Political labels belong to the past. We live in a world far from ideologies and today’s problems should make us more attentive than ever to concrete things, without losing ourselves in fanaticism or prejudice. If sovereign means being on the side of those who work, of those who produce wealth for their country and their territory, for those who want to live safely in the community of their city with their family, then yes, I am.
Ask from the airport in Tuscany. For years there has been talk of expanding the one in Florence. Meanwhile, there was a ruling from the Council of State that rejected the project. As president of the Tuscany region, what would you do?
I am in favor of the development of the Florence airport, but not of the original project that was repeatedly rejected. The important thing is to make a project that stands up, that is not questioned by the mayors of the area, rejected by the Cortes, otherwise Florentines and Tuscans will never see the new track. Pisa and Florence airports can coexist synergistically.
Infrastructure, you said the left hasn’t done anything great in ten years. Now they wake up and promise seas and mountains … what do you tell me about it? What works would you like to create right away?
Tuscany is a land that gave rise to one of the brightest and most flourishing civilizations in history, that of the bell towers. This civilization, in its diversity of traditions and cultures, is something unique and unrepeatable in the world. The whole world envies our cities, our provinces, our towns. But we must put this inheritance in the system. We must do it for the Tuscan citizens, for the world of business and tourism. It is unthinkable that from Florence it is possible to get to Rome before Siena. And the first way to make this territory a system is to complete the infrastructural gap that separates us from the rest of Europe by opening new works. Tirrenica, Autopalio and Grosseto-Fano are among the priorities, along with the protection of the secondary road network, often problematic in the peripheral mountain areas. In the same way, the rail network must be modernized: we are talking about environmental protection and we still have a large part of the rail connections that are made with diesel engines.
If the center-right wins in Tuscany, it would be a very strong push against the Conte government. How do you rate this aspect? Do you feel a double responsibility towards your party and the entire center right?
The only responsibility I feel on my shoulders is that linked to doing the good of my fellow Tuscan citizens. My goal is not to win: it is to govern a region and be president of more than three and a half million inhabitants. The political balance linked to the maintenance of the Government is not part of this game and it is not for me to decide, but for Parliament.
First as a commissioner for the League, then as a candidate for the European Championship and now as a candidate for the Region, he has had the opportunity to travel throughout Tuscany, taking the pulse of all the smaller cities and towns. What is the situation you encountered?
The situation is the following: we have a beautiful territory, unique in the world. We have productive excellences that make us a leading Made in Italy region, which is very often made first in Tuscany. We have cities of art, tourism, history and culture. In all this there is a lack of a strategic vision that, as I said before, knows how to create a system and make these peculiarities a strong point. The contribution of those who administer a region in this process is essential. For example, in a meeting with Coldiretti, I proposed that as governor I would commit to creating a department dedicated to agri-food. In our coalition program is the Department of Agrifood, a manifesto of rurality that once again strengthens the mountains and peripheral territories also giving services to citizens to avoid the depopulation of rural and mountain territories. We believe that the added value of agricultural, food and wine production in Tuscany is an aspect to be promoted.
Let’s play a game: in ten years your second term at the head of the Region has ended: how has your Tuscany changed?
I think of a different Tuscany, closer to the citizens. A region that is friendly to companies and those who provide employment and wealth to the territory. A Tuscany that finally has a pragmatic and sustainable waste plan, having recognized that the current one has completely failed. We use too much landfill, there is little differentiation, the bills are too high and above all we cannot close the waste cycle due to lack of systems. Similarly, in the water front, you need to put your hands in your hair. The bills paid by citizens are the highest in Italy and the water network is a sieve with more than 40% losses on average. These are two important aspects, which together with healthcare and infrastructure will act as a turning point in understanding whether Tuscany will be able to win the challenge with the future and be competitive with the more advanced areas of Europe or continue to lose position and attractiveness.
